We liked the itinerary and it was a good value. The ship is beautiful with lots of really wood. It was well maintained and spotless. The itinerary changes due to the Covid-19 virus were NOT THE FAULT OF COSTA, and we believe that the cruise line, the ship's officers and the amazing crew did all that could be done to keep us safe and informed. The in room food service while we were quarantined was delicious and the wine was appreciated. I still can't believe that the kitchen was able to provide so many meals to everyone and our food arrive hot and beautifully presented. My heartfelt thanks to the Chef and his staff. My only regret was that we did not have to opportunity to buy some of the outstanding photographs that were taken of us. I felt quite safe on the Costa Luminosa where disinfecting was done repeatedly every day. I did find that the US government-provided charter flight home was very risky and exhausting and that the CDC evaluation were not adequate. I understand that people are scared and angry, but taking it out on Costa is irrational. This was our 34th cruise. We thougt that the on board credit and future cruise discount were generous and we will cruise with Costa again - God willing. Read Less

It is different from American cruising but, I got use to the environment being a bit on the cold side, I don't mean temperature wise but the coldness of the staff. Only the room attendants would automatically speak to you. Officer's would walk right past and not look at or acknowledge you. It seemed that they were scared you might ask them something and they really didn't want to be bothered. Service was functionary with no showing of spontaneous friendliness shown. My partner did not like the Costa style at all. The ship definitely could use a good updating. Poor, small TV one has not seen in years that mostly played in black and white. Pink and maroon bathroom that has seen much better days. I had booked a guaranteed balcony and was given a cabin with a slightly larger balcony next to area where the back of the ship jets out. The ship did not appear to be full so, I am sure that's why we got that cabin. I had no complaint with their choice.. The buffet was confusing at first but, we got use to the routine and time scheduling. After a couple of days, though,the food did become monotonous. Main dining room was again functionary. The staff worked quick and fast delivering the food and grabbing away the finished plates. We, Americans, were given water with our dinner. There were six courses but the portions are so tiny you barely had a taste of what you had ordered. We were seated in the 3rd floor dining room so, we could not see any of the entertainment the dining staff put on. I joked with the other couple we were seated with, that we were the leftovers and that was why we were at the catch-all table set for 10 in the back of the room. Oh, my God. The theater was awful for viewing the stage entertainment if you sat up in the balcony. People were constantly jumping up and moving from one row to another in attempt to get better viewing seats. Whoever designed that theater did an awful job. The children on board looked like they were enjoying themselves every time I saw them. There was line dancing and other activities but I didn't participate in those. We didn't go on any of the ship excursions. I would go on Costa again for the right itinerary with the right price with the knowledge that I couldn't expect any pampering, just functionary "doing a job" treatment. Read Less

We thought it would be more for adults. Wanted diversity with other nationalities. Wait staff and bartenders were very nice. Costa excursions are a far cry from being organized.Recommend going on your own as Costa tends to forget about you once you are off the ship. This company wants to nickel and dime you for everything. Very pushy about buying extras. Stated many times not interested but they persisted and honestly made the cruise much less enjoyable. The ship was clean and the crew were only doing there job, but Costa in general is to worried about getting every dollar they can. This makes for a negative experience. We went on excursions thru Costa and met other passengers form Costa that ended up in the same place as we did for a fraction of the price. Prime example; Atlantis excursion we were bused to the entrance and dumped off, we were not given a pickup time or place and thankfully found another Costa excursion rep and were eventually taken to the pick up area. The excursions were so unorganized most passengers asked many times about what they were supposed to do or where to go. Our English speaking representative did not seem to be to interested in helping. He spoke to the whole group but didn't want to be bothered with any questions. Costa has been taken off my list of cruise lines. Read Less

Really very lovely ship, excellent services food was very delicious service was excellent crew was extremely friendly and couldn't do enough to make us happy English was widely spoken almost all the crew spoke English. I would take another crock Costa Cruise without a problem especially in the Caribbean America or Hawaiian cruises English speaking countries. There are a lot of Europeans on the cruise so expect Italian Spanish German to be widely spoken however there is no problem with English. Food service is a little different from other Cruise Lines but perfectly manageable I would recommend anyone to take the Costa Cruise of their choice there pick these room 4363 for a large balcony, please leave a good review if you like the ship, they don't get the tips as do the other cruise lines, the do get bonuses, I had the package that has wine and beer and other shots it would be a money saved Pepsi max is like diet coke, we enjoyed Bacardi freezer and capacinos whenever we wanted. They need to add a north American beer, only European are included, or onboard. Sill, we were glad we cruised with them. Read Less

My wife and I (both active 60-year old’s) have been on a couple of Carnival Cruises, first time on Costa. We sailed mid-January on the 10-day cruise out of Fr. Lauderdale. We chose this cruise due to the length of time and price. It was dirt cheap and we had very low expectations. I had read all the reviews and was worried about coffee, water, drinks, and food. On top of all that, I am very fussy, not much patience with sloppy effort and cleanliness, but was determined to be mellow and go with the flow. Getting on and off the ship was incredibly easy both at check-in, port stops and debarking to leave. The cabin: we were on the 7th floor and had a balcony. We brought way too much luggage, 4 suitcases, and 2 backpacks. I had 12 items on hangers from the cleaners and enough clothes for a month. Everything fit easily in the closets and draws; I was shocked by how much space there was. There is a great safe in the room. Easy to use and in the closet. The room was 275 sf, a queen bed, and a couch. The bed was comfortable enough and the pillows were OK. We wanted 2 extra pillows and asked. They came within an hour. There is a small end table with a light on both sides of the bed, there is a coffee table and a full couch. Lots of counter space and ONE American style plug. I had brought and an extension cord with multiple plugs on the end and it was fine. There is a hard-wired blow dryer in one of the draws, which worked well. There is a small fridge which is stocked with drinks and snacks at an extra charge. We took everything out, stored it, and loaded it up with our own stuff. The balcony was awesome. Big, two nice chairs and a coffee table. Did not smell cig or cigar smoke. About halfway thru cruise, we got a note they were going to be washing the balconies at the next port. While in port, they cleaned all the glass on the outside balconies amazingly clean. The surface was hard and scaly, can’t believe how clean they got the glass. We spent much more time on the balcony when cruising than expected. The bathroom: They have a corner shower stall that was more than large enough. I’m 6’3, 240 and had more than ample room. Add the water pressure was great and hot water endless. Really surprised. Plenty of shelves on each side of the mirror. Our attendant cleaned it spotless every day and provided plenty of fresh towels. There are also 2 beach towels in the closet to take off the ship and to the beach. Overall the cabin and everything in it exceeded our expectations; by a lot. Food: I am the king of food an on several FB pages posting reviews and pics and flood my own page with food every day. We eat at 5-star restaurants as well as Taco Bell. I always insist wherever I eat its hot and fresh, even taco bell. We must remember we are on an Italian ship and the food is going to be a little different. And it was. Buffett: Free Coffee and Free Water available in multiple stations almost 24/7. Coffee was GREAT, the water was good. Both exceeded expectations as well as cruise reviews that said there was none. It was everywhere. Breakfast: the first time I ever saw fresh eggs over easy, hot, at a buffet. Bacon, the ship made sausage, and a little bit of everything from fish, to cold cuts to roast half tomato. I loved it. Plenty of stations and plenty of food. Sanitation station at the start of each buffet station. Clean clean clean. Buffett Lunch and Dinner Food Food Food. Not typical American buffet where way too much food is out and exposed with lots tossed out every sitting. Costa provides many choices, its all hot, it's all fresh and it's all good. I ate everything in sight and tried everything. Deserts, pastries, cheese, rolls, bread. If you can’t be satisfied with the offerings, I suggest staying home, your too fussy. Pizza: I read pizza was and extra charge. Out of Florida, it was not. It was included and it was great. Guy cranks them out continuously. Coming back from a port in the afternoon, they are ready and cranking them out. I ate pizza every day; multiple times. Snacks: At the buffet stations they do snacks from 3-4:30. Cold cut sliders, cookies, deserts, all fresh and perfect when your off-ship all day in port. Pizza also going at the same time. Salad Bar: They have an area with salad, hamburgers and hot dogs that goes until 2 in the morning. Dining Room: Included with ticket We had second seating and sat with an American couple the entire cruise, With the exception of one oddball European entrée, everything was good to great. Its seven-course meal and takes about 90 minutes. Service was adequate and we did not need anything. The first night the waiter asked what kind of water we wanted, and he proved each couple with a cold 2-liter bottle every night. If we ran out, he got another bottle. We have coffee a few nights and had no issues at all. Dinner exceeded expectations. Poolside Food: Every day at lunch they set up a huge spread of food. From pasta to fruit to sandwiches. Food everywhere. I gained 9 pounds on the cruise Paid Dining and High-End Pastry/coffee shop. We intended to try a couple but found all the offerings better than expected and never paid extra. I got a couple of gelatos from the coffee shop; they were good and only 3 bucks (American) Beverage Service and packages: Multiple packages. We did not buy. There were ample water and coffee and we opted to buy drinks when we wanted them. Beer consisted of Heineken or some other European beer. Not a fan of them but were cold and reasonably priced. You want to join Costa Club for free. Drinks are automatically discounted, like 10-25%. Worth it and free. The service was excellent. If you wanted a drink a server would quickly get it, if you wanted to order from a bar, it was simple and fast. Very impressed with service. Everyone is happy to help you. When we were at our first stop, we bought a dozen spring water bottles at a dollar each and brought them on board. Casino Lots of slots and about 15 table games. Unlike an American ship, there was not a lot of action. Maybe not a big attraction for European people? Shows: Each night in the grand theater at 7:15 and 9. Singing, Dancing, something different every night. Most of the singing is in Italian. All shows satisfactory. Probably no TV pilot will emerge, but they were decent. Ship Piano Bars. I think there were 2/3, we stuck with one and they were GREAT. Above average and excellent. Main lounge on Level 2. 2 bands playing non-stop from 4 or 5 until 1 AM. One band would play their set; when they went on break, the other band took over. One band was 3 pc and 2 great singers, the other was one piece and one singer. Seamless, smooth and way above average voices and entertainment. Crew Entertainers: The jewels of the ship. About a dozen staff members. Doing contest, teaching dancing, starting dancing and showing a good time for everyone. They were genuinely trying to ensure everyone was having fun. Classy. I saw both male and female staff dancing with passengers with the utmost respect. Passengers were appreciative and you could see how good they felt with individual attention from the staff. And let me tell you, these staff members can dance, and they have endless energy and smiles. I enjoyed watching them interact and work hard. And they were funny as heck. BRAVO !!!! Ship staff; No issues, everyone trying hard. Exceeded expectation. Ship cleanliness and upkeep. The ship was in almost perfect condition and was spotlessly clean. Sanitary, spotless. Exceeded expectations. At every port, they were whitewashing the ship. Every port they washed the ship !!!!!!!!! Port Excursions: We did not buy any excursions. We researched ahead of time and went out on our own so we cannot comment on this; however, I did cross reference many of the excursions offered vs buying them on your own and there was not much markup. If I wanted an excursion, I would have booked with the ship. Ports: Freeport: They have a large area where the ships come in that are fenced off and controlled. Food, shopping, plenty to do here for a few hours. If you want to leave the port and head downtown, there is a taxi stand when you need to wait until there are 10 passengers. The wait is 5-30 minutes and is 10 dollars per person. There are literally 30 cabs waiting and they will not let a cab leave with 2 people unless you pay a steep premium. Instead, they all sit there with a fraction of the business they could have. Not a good system and the taxi porter that day was a (not nice person). My suggested cure for this is for the cruise ships to forget Freeport and go somewhere else. Ocho Rios This was a good stop* The ship was docked at an industrial dock used for loading sand onto barges. They have been working on the port to bring in more ships and they are doing a good job. There are lots of beaches and the port is fenced in to keep the locals out. You need to walk out of the fenced-in port to get in town or to the beaches. ** Warning. There is a literal gauntlet of cab drivers and “tour guides” you need to walk through to exit and at the exit. Like at least 150 semi-aggressive guys. This goes on for about 500 feet from the gate and once you clear them, it’s a beautiful walk downtown along the ocean. We walked about a mile and a half to the far end of town, did some shopping, had something to eat at an open-air restaurant and it was decent. Lots of high-end shops and lots of dirt-poor places selling goods which are open to old fashioned bartering. People openly smoking ganja was comical. We walked back to the original Margaritaville and it was great. Right on the ocean, our ship in the background, (see pics) nachos, drinks and the best gift shop of the entire trip. Ironically, when we were downtown, we mingled with a group on an excursion from our ship…(LOL). However, if you’re not good at saying no to aggressive locals at the exit port, the excursion route is the way to go. Wi-Fi is available at any place you but a drink and is free. Rotan, Honduras Shockingly, the best stop on the 10-day cruise! Carnival has invested millions in this port, and it shows. Luxury landscaping, shopping, Mahogany Beach all within walking distance. $5 all-day Wi-Fi (pic) at the start of the shopping plaza and a short walk to the beach. They have a tram for $14 each to the beach…….it’s a very short walk without taking it. The beach was the best on the cruise and the ship was right next to it. (pic) Food and drink at the beach, lifeguards and security everywhere, can’t get over how nice it was. Cozumel 9 ships in port the day we were there. We walked along the coast to downtown. It was hot and a mistake. 3 miles. Cabs everywhere and a fixed price is the way to go. We had lunch downtown, free Wi-Fi___33 and a very nice place. Felt safe. Progresso, Mexico the port is very nice with shopping and restaurants, after that it’s all downhill. They have free buses which take you to downtown and meet up for excursions or just drop you off at a shopping market. You can get to a beach from here also. We left the drop-off point and heading in town. There was a funky tour bus we did not get on (see pic) but heard it was fun from a fellow passenger. We walked about 2000 feet into downtown and turned around. Although it felt safe, it’s just a very poor old country downtown. Not really a tourist place to walk around. We went back to the drop-off point and the bus operator also offers direct excursions (I had read about this), so we booked a trip to the Mayan ruins 30 min away. We traveled in a nice minivan with 6 other passengers for $36 each. It was half the price for the same booking through the ship. The Mayan ruins were great and I’m glad we went, I highly recommend. We had a drink at a port bar next to the ship and it was pretty good. Nassau It’s a good stop, something for everyone. We walked to the beach, ate at a great place, drank beer and had fun. Right next to the ship. Free internet at the bar, lots to see and lots of shopping along the walk. Read Less

We chose this trip because of the Itinerary/ We knew it was targeted for the european passengers and were aware there standards were lower then the reg American cruises ... Not sure why .. The first thing I noticed is the lack of hand sanitisation stations and one's that were operating properly.. The cabins were not cleaned properly after last trip, noticed staff not following through on good cleaning edicate . so all in all very poor asking for a disaster .The food was below average and very poor when there was a special item like there Tomahawk Steak.. sorry not high enough grade of meat ? The waiters and service in the dinning rooms were Good and what we expected. The Casino was small and not enough incentives to come back..only two or three tables open at a time. otherewise the casino staff were nice and professional .. So I will not travel this line again and hope they move up to there 4 or 5 star ratings Read Less

we have been on 22 cruises,costa was the worst.the food was garbage,same food every day,entertainment if you want to call it that was terrible, staff was not fiendly some did not even speak english,tv in are cabin had 2 stations that were in english, also we recieved a letter in our cabin on the second day saying we were being charged $25.00 a day for service charges,we went down to the service desk to ask what this was for,they just kept saying it was a service charge,would not explain who it went to,i asked if it was for tips for there employees,they said no it was a service charge,and it was mandatory we had to pay it, the only nice thing i can say about this ship our cabin was nice and clean and we had a balcony,never cruise costa again,met alot of people on this cruise,from differant countrys,they were all feeling the same will never sail costa again, Read Less

Selected this cruise based on itinerary and low price point. Absolutely disgusting food. Crew is pathetic and service was rude or non existent from nearly all staff. Many, many, many unhappy passengers. Lacked fresh produce, food was tasteless and extremely limited choices. We actually lost weight on this cruise it was soooooo bad. Do not book this ship unless it is your first cruise and it’s all your budget will allow. Very disappointing on so many levels. Some entertainment was ok but overall not impressed. Seems most passengers, including us, had the free drink package which was a nice plus and helped make it mildly tolerable. But, we have never been so anxious to disembark. Another big problem was the constant barrage of efforts in person and by public address system in 5 languages to CONSTANTLY try to sell goods and services. Incredibly obnoxious. They obviously needed to do this because their cruise fares are so low. Read Less

We, as a group of couples, decided that we would like to be on a New Year’s Eve cruise. This was one that had an itinerary, and price that we were interested in. Check in went well and was efficient. The rooms were a great size and had tons of storage. Not happy with not having a turn down service,but, found that that was the least of our problems. The first night at dinner, I decided to order meatballs and some pasta. This was seriously the worst meatballs I’ve ever seen. They were made with the teeny tiny portion or the melon baller. They usually y give you only three but he said he would give me a large order. Everyone at the table actually broke out in laughter when then saw the size of the meatballs. Then we tried to get drinks when we first sat down and was told they don’t do drink service in the dining room. We finished dinner and went to the bar. The bar’s didn’t have cranberry juice. Our friend only drank cosmos. Only one bar had cranberry. Someone else decided to have a Bloody Mary. No bloody Mary mix. No tomato juice either. Then, my husband drinks crown (in our drink package). All out. Had to go to a different bar. If all of us were together and we wanted t-o drink , we had to follow each other to different bars so we could all get our drink of choice. We went to the pool. The pool bar said they don’t stock crown. They didn’t have cranberry either, and they ran out of Bloody Mary mix. I even approached the bar manager. He did make sure we had cranberry, but the rest were missing. Most ships give you all of the ice cream you want. On this one you had t-o buy it. Water too. The tv was ridiculously small. The shows were ok but the translation after Italian, French German, Spanish was so long. The muster on the first night at nine o’clock took 45 minutes. Tiresome and frustrating. There was little to no communication on this ship. Most staff didn’t speak English. The topper was when I met a family that the father/father in law took them all on a cruise. He , as it turns out. Was the former president of costa cruise line. He gets free trips. He said he wouldn’t go on another costa cruise. Now for the food. On New Year’s Eve we picked lobster. The absolute worst thing EVER. It was not a full lobster but sliced in half and you only got half. Of that half, there was , maybe , a quarter of an ounce of lobster in the tail (I’m being generous). It was over cooked. You didn’t know how little there was because the tail was filled with potatoes. Ugh! The claw was so overcooked that you couldn’t prey the meat out. Not that you had the opportunity to because they never gave you a fork that would fit in the claw. We were all so disappointed. We had a cruise booked on the costa favulouso. We canceled. We were also unhappy with the crew. They seemed like they didn’t want to be there. Almost all had attitudes. The bartenders were awful. We asked for a mudslide and they said they don’t make them.....company policy. Never again Read Less

It was by far the worst cruise we have ever been on! The service was terrible! Nobody was friendly. Bartenders are not nice or helpful. The food is absolute trash and the chefs and servers are very very rude. We talked to over 50 people and all of them agreed to never go on a costa again. After 8pm you can’t get anything to eat except for the pizza that they charge you for. Can’t get bottles of water unless you want to pay $8 for a bottle. Anytime food is put out it’s a race to get it first as they run out every meal. There is more things to list then I can even remember. It was terrible and nobody was happy nor did anyone speak English or understand you when you talked to them. Most of the crew would turn there back on you and walk away and not acknowledge you at all. No basketballs or volleyballs available they said they were all rented. No other activities on board. Pools were closed half the time. 4 year old boy couldn’t sit in the hot tub with parents. Drink packages never included everything there was always a catch or scam to charge you for something even with the unlimited drink package. Hotel room service charge daily per person. Terrible cruise line! Read Less

This cruise was chosen by someone else so we could go on a New Year’s cruise. First I must say that this was my fifteenth cruise but first (and last) cruise on Costa. I cannot find many positives to say about this experience. Our cabin was spacious with lots of storage. However the mattress was hard and the pillow was thin and small. TV was small and outdated and there were three channels in English, two of which only came in black and white and with frequent loss of signal. The food was aweful in the main dining room. Most meals were frozen and the portions were small. The food choices were better in the buffet. I have to admit though the pastries served at breakfast were very good. We purchased the drink package and I was drinking Crown Royal. Well at some bars they didn’t carry it. Also my wife likes Cosmos. Well some bars didn’t have cranberry juice. Also you couldn’t get a drink at dinner. Entertainment to me seemed like I was at a high school production. However the acrobatic show was fantastic. The two islands that I had never visited before, Grand Turks & Caicos and Amber Cove in Dominican Republic were great. Finally, a couple more issues. Our ship did not depart Ft. Lauderdale until 11:00 pm. The muster drill was at 8:00 pm. Some of the passengers did not know this. So we had to wait for them and then the drill was broadcast in four different languages. The whole fiasco lasted nearly an hour. Secondly we had to go through customs when we arrived in Key West. The day before, we were instructed to go to a piano bar to obtain passes so we could be called to go through customs the next day on the ship. Well 1/2 hour early and about fifty people showed up when the Costa staffer came in with the passes. Then all the passengers bull rushed up for passes and it quickly became a royal s#@tshow! Never again I am afraid. Read Less

We chose this as a last minute cruise with a deal we found on Black Friday. You get what you pay for. This was our 4th and worst (by far) cruise. If you are american expect to be treated horrible. I had one bar staff (Roberto Santo) who intentionally served other Italian guests (that came to the bar AFTER me) before serving me. He was so rude! Here are just some of the complaints: *They do not provide pen or paper anywhere (in the room even) *We bought the drink package-many times we would wait in an unorganized line only to have many people cut in front of us just to be told they didn't have the drink we were wanting at this bar and we would have to go to another bar. *If you buy the drink package find a drink menu and take it to your room-the bars don't even have them! *There is no food after 8pm (or if there is it is lunch meat, cheese slices, and fruit) you have to pay for pizza after 8pm-Ice cream costs all the time! *They don't have shuffle board!?!? They do have basketball but only have 3 balls on the ship and don't require them returned so people check them out at the beginning of the cruise and never return them! *They charge to play ping/pong *There is only 1 plug in the whole room to plug stuff in *Their Costa app doesn't work for US citizens *They have the most unfriendly staff around! I have never had someone turn their back on me so much and just walk away. Very unhappy staff! *They don't offer anything but water with your sit-down dinner service (I got up one night and went to the bar then came back with drinks. *Their buffet closes!?!?!? *They won't give you a whole can of soda with a drink package they open it and pour it in a cup then if you go get a drink later you get flat soda from a previously opened can! *Their ice/water machines are horrid--many times you cannot get anything out of them! *We had dirty linen in the drawer under our couch. I took them out hoping for clean ones and they just re-folded and put on the couch. *Their evening shows are boring ---they need more variety than just singing and dancing. The comedian and acrobatic shows were the only good ones. Here is the one positive thing I can say *Their evening shows always started on time *They do have ONE staff member who smiled and worked hard: Juan Zapata Read Less

Well, we chose this cruise because it was listed as $590, which sounds like a good deal, especially over new years. This was a huge mistake. Speaking exclusively to the price, yes it was $590 initially, but then you can expect a service charge of 12.50 per day, per person charged to your cruise card. So really, not $590. Not to mention, everything on this ship is paid. Pizza, ice cream, deserts etc. You can expect to incur a whole boat load of inexplicable charges on your card. I received a print out of my charges the evening before I got off the boat, and somehow I still incurred an additional $40 worth of charges the very next day (when i was pushed off the ship by 9am). I call the cruise line, no option for english, and the service person says that I have to email the cruise line because he doesn't have access to that information. I told him not a chance, since i have no confidence that I will even receive a response-- then suddenly he has access. Still, nothing he can do. About the cruise: Food: the food on this boat is atrocious. I'm not even the sort of person who goes on cruises for food, its not high on my priority list whatsoever. But the buffet is exclusively rice, pasta and deli meats-- and it is the exact same at every station every single day. There was so variation and the food that was available, was barely even edible and only available for a few hours a day. EVERYTHING on this boat, closes before midnight, you cannot find anything to eat after midnight. Not to mention, the beverage stations, are consistently closed . You might find one open station in the middle of lunch-- and here's the best part, there is never any ice whatsoever. At the single open beverage station, you can receive warm water, (sometimes) coffee and tea. I resided on this boat for 8 days and did not have one ice cube-- and not a single staff member cared. To make matters worse, this cruise ship does not have sufficient AC. You can expect an 80 degree climate in the buffet area, but yes they still have the gull to tell the ladies to cover up. In addition, the pizza (which they pride themselves on apparently) is cheeseless, topping less, saucey dough, Truly the most disgusting pizza ive ever had-- the good pizza is apparently only available for pay (12.50). My family and I consistently dined in the dining room for diner. This is always such a pleasant experience, on other boats the servers and assistants were truly the most amazing service workers. That was not the case here, and I'll get into the staff shortly but sufficed to say that our server was inattentive, explicitly rude (can i have another salad? Maybe after your pasta), lacking knowledge on the menu and unwilling to accommodate. He never had answers to our questions regarding the menu, he regularly forgot items, and not once did he offer coffee. He would serve melted ice cream after approximately 40 minutes of waiting, and then upon our request for coffee, would just disappear. So bizarre. But beyond that, we were given one bottle of water for a table of 5, and the server was evidently reluctant to get us more. As per the food, well. On new years eve, the feature item was a hot dog with shrimp fried rice. On the final night, a burger with like 6 fries. The food was truly disgusting and inedible. The salads regularly came undressed, and with perhaps 5 leaves of lettuce. The fried mozzarella was 90% fried dough and a little taste of mozzarella. The pastrami on rye had only one slice of meat on it, and a whole boatload of sauerkraut. Its sufficient to say that every available corner was cut to save a dollar. Hotel: The hotel element to this boat was especially bad. I have never been on a ship where your room only gets turned down once a day. Not a big deal, just very odd. Our cabin steward was so kind and so lovely to us though, so we never said anything. My parents room however, lacked air conditioning and apparently plumbing. Almost everyday their toilet would get backed up and it would take hours to fix. And it wasn't until day 7 that the air-conditioning was fixed. The plumbing issue though, was consistent among the entire ship. Other guests were constantly complaining that their toilet wouldn't flush, and finding an open restroom (that wasn't under maintenance) proved very difficult. They were always closed and when they were open, had a god awful smell. This was odd since it was a relatively new ship. As for the hotel management, I'm at a loss. It took them 45 minutes to deliver a corkscrew to my room, and the line to speak with them was always long due to the lack of people behind the counter. There was always only two service workers, even on the first and last night. You are given one set of towels and that is your towel for the whole cruise, you will never find towels throughout this boat, not by the pool etc. Side point, I know people on this boat who contracted BED BUGS and were afterward CHARGED for the doctor visit to confirm such. Service: I hate to talk poorly about service on this boat, because if guests were treated thus poorly, i can only imagine how the workers are treated. They were all visibly unhappy, unpleasant and overworked. At any bar, at any given time of day, there would only be one bartender. In the casino at night, by the pool on a day at sea, there was only ever one bartender. You can imagine how difficult it was to get a drink. i actually saved money because i could never get service. On other boats, there are servers walking around at all times, by the pool, in the casino, wherever, kindly asking to get you a drink. Not on this boat. To receive any beverage, even a beverage that you may have prepaid for via drink package, would take at least 30 minutes to receive and the workers refused to serve two at a time. As for the entertainment staff, i always enjoy the cruise directors. They always have such a personality and charisma about them, i truly enjoy them. Our cruise director Luigi, was a complete moron. He was arrogant, annoying, and in the one conversation I had with him, he was so rude. I cringed listening to this guy. Also, because this is an Italian line, you can expect that every single announcement will be made first in Italian, german, english then dutch. Even on game shows, everything was said 4 times in 4 different languages. it took forever. Entertainment: I have never been on a cruise with so little entertainment. They had nightly shows which were fine. The dancers and acrobats were brilliant, but almost all the music is in Italian. We had the pleasure of being aboard on new years eve, which is something that we have done for the last 5 years or so. Typically, this is a grand experience that we just live for. This experience wasnt that. On this boat, there are 2 pools, one at the back of the boat which received sunlight, and one in the middle that remained covered by the piece that typically only comes out during rainy conditions,. Not the case here, that cover remained on the entire cruise, creating a hot, sticky and germ infested pool side area. Meaning that everyone concentrated in the other pool area-- very busy. Anyhoo, on new years there was only 1 party (on other boats there's usually 2/3 so the spaces aren't so busy) and yes, it was in the area that was enclosed. Well that was a hot treat. Between 10-11 the music was English and recognizable, between 11-11:55 there was only italian music. Not one song that was sung in English. This still wasn't enough to deter us. What did it for us, was that at 11:55 instead of doing a grand countdown and playing music, THEY BROUGHT OUT THE CAPTAIN. A whole 20 minute ode to the captain had to occur right at midnight. It was pompous, pretentious and in bad taste. Many of us were shouting for music or entertainment, but there stood the captain, waving like a queen no one cares about. So gross. Beyond that, there was little to no entertainment. We usually enjoy a poolside line dance, or hairy chest competition, or some type of game. None of that happened. I saw a mr. costa competition in the lounge one night that was explicitly racist and uncomfortable to watch. My brother and I are on the young side, and always look forward to dancing and going to the clubs and bars. The club was actually the location of the teen club, so there was nowhere for adults to enjoy nightlife and after around 10pm, the boat was a ghost ship with no entertainment or food available. Ship: The ship itself was beautiful, we've been on one of the sister ships and it was basically identical. Aside from the lack of AC and plumbing, the ship did not disappoint. Ports: The ports were incredible, and the embarkation process was easy and quick. All in all, I have been on upwards of 20 cruises. I recommend them to whomever will listen and I consistently enjoy cruising no matter what the cruise line. That was not the case for the cruise. I was consistently disappointed with every element of this cruise. Rather every element that the management team had jurisdiction over. They spared every available cost and ensured that each guest spent as much as they could possibly mandate. I would never cruise with costa again and i recommend that everyone avoid this line, no matter how cheap it may seem. Read Less

We chose this cruise at the last minute for a New Years Cruise, our first of this nature. The ship is beautiful, the cabin spacious, entertainment and activities are above average for a cruise of 7 days. BUT, this ship is really BEAUTIFUL, Murano glass, marble floors and highly polished interiors make the Luminosa a spectacular ship. We had booked this cruise, allowing the cruise line to assign our room which turned out to be not that bad. Embarkation was relatively painless, as was debarkation. We opted to walk off, a quicker way to exit the ship. The bar staff is very well trained and energetic, however, timing should be redone to schedule more bartenders prior to dinner times as a crowd usually start to amass 30 minutes before assigned dinner seating's. If you are going to enjoy cocktails, cappuccino, coffee, wine with dinner etc....it is recommended that you purchase a beverage package. We opted for the piu gusto. But be prepared to purchase water at cruise stops, less expensive. Our cabin steward was fantastic, our room was always clean and he always had a pleasant hello when seen in the hallway. Entertainment was wonderful, colorful, and everything I expected. The New Years Show was excellent. We opted for the Vueve champagne package which came with a private table on the upper deck during the festivities and was well worth the $69 paid. Now for the sad part....I am of Italian descent, groomed in a kitchen and taught to cook at a very young age. That being said, our dinner menu leaves much to be desired. On one seating, dinner served was "shrimp salad" appetizer (this was ridiculous as I was served 6 / 16-20 shrimp cold on 3 leaves of arugula) Granted, shrimp salad should be cold, but I expected somewhat more in a presentation and quantity. Another seating, risotto with snow crab cluster was served (and by cluster I mean is should have said snow crab garnish) Not only was the snow crab cold, it was not prepared correctly as the meat could not be extracted from the shell without a fight. Additionally, no steel cracker, nor small fork was given to extract meat either. On another night, a guest seated next to me laughed at the choice of his dinner which was hot dogs on a skewer....amazing even to be on the menu on an Italian Cruise Line. The buffets were mundane at best....serving italian slice meats, runny scrambled eggs, and grilled pork chops....and that was breakfast. Lunch is a similar buffet, bar the eggs, but still not spectacular. Their waitstaff needs to visit a Disney Cruise Line and be trained in salutation and food delivery. No one I encountered in the buffet area, as far as staff, bothered to ask if everything was satisfactory, or if I needed any water or coffee. Smiles to not exist here. Staff is barely present in the dining room, having one poor waiter taking care of about 30 diners. (Along with one back waiter) The gelato bar is only open for a small window of time, so make plans to visit, it is wonderful. Food is usually served cold and barely palatable. So much for the Michelin chef. Moving on and off the ship are done very nicely with the utilization of your Costa Card, which is your payment card while on the ship. Do not be drawn in by sales while on the ship, the merchandise is vastly overpriced to begin with, and even with a "sale" barely a deal. I purchase an iTouch smart watch, priced at $99, on sale for $69 only to find out later, that Amazon has the same watch with free shipping for $39. As the saying goes...."Let the buyer beware" Ports of call are a plus on this ship, as Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Nassau, and Key West are nice stops. Be ready to experience the t-shirt extravaganza at all ports. I have been to most of these ports before and knew what to expect. That being said, I have my favorite vendors in most ports, especially Nassau. We opted to rent chairs and an umbrella in Grand Turk and had a great time at the pool. $45 covers your rental all day and includes a solar powered cooler for your beverages...a nice touch. In Key West, if you have never been before, opt for the hop-on hop-off trolley. A nice excursion around the town with narration on the history of this great town. Do the Duval walk about and be charmed at what Key West is all about....you will love it. In Amber Cove, we took the excursion to Puerta Plata and surrounding area to include the cigar factory, the Don Fernando ranch, and the chocolate factory. Some hype about each of the factories products, but we purchase cigars and chocolate just the same. Lunch was provided at the ranch and was wonderful. On a closing note, the cruise line should be aware of families travelling with small children and NOT seat them at the second seating of dinner (8:30pm) as they are usually cranky and run amuk in the dining room, or cry through most of dinner, not impressive. I hope this review help you in your choice of cruise lines for your next vacation. Read Less

This was our 56th cruise, I decided to experience the Italian cruise, my husband and I were born in Italy and live in the US. Requested handicap cabin when we booked 4 months before departing. My husband had 2 strokes. We were assigned a regular balcony cabin and I was not able to change it. We never received our luggage in the cabin, they had confiscated it and labeled it alcohol, well it was my lotion bottle. Coffee and/ or breakfast in the cabin had a $5 charge per person(free on all other cruises). At the restaurant, we had to purchase a water package, water was not included. Gratuities were labeled as Service charges and were mandatory. Our waiters were awful, it was very warm on the ship. We had major issues in our toilet, and were without water several times. 90% of the passengers we spoke to were experiencing issues. New Years Eve was disorganized, they did not offer passengers any complimentary champagne or hats, like other ships, you had to purchase them. We ended up brining in the new year with a glass of water from the buffet, since it was impossible to purchase anything due to the lines ate the bar.The staff at the customer relations desk was uncaring and did not attempt to understand the situation we were in, Nobody attempted to make it right. The only passengers that received attention, were the ones that purchased a suite. We will never cruise on Costa again. Read Less

This cruise was a last minute decision and I was skeptical of the low fare, but booked the 10 day cruise out of Ft Lauderdale and traveled with 10 friends. I have traveled the last two years with Viking and had 3 previous cruses with different lines and I have to admit that my experience with Costa on the Luminosa exceeded my expectations. Was it perfect? No. But I have very little to complain about. I don’t understand the food complaints. The dining room food was as good or better than Viking. The service was a little slow, but we had 11 at our table and there were few mistakes. The buffet on deck 9 was equally good...both breakfast and lunch. The pizza was good and always available. Wonderful fruit and pastries. There was a full selection of onboard activities. My group participated in the 4 dance classes offered most days. The show each night was entertaining and no problem getting seating . There was live music in numerous locations and plenty of dance floor. My cabin was the largest I’ve had on a cruise; elevators were quick; and I thought the decor was uniquely Italian...beautiful. Language no problem. Cons: only two electrical outlets in cabin; one in bath and one across from bed...non on headboard wall. No free wi-fi. Two of the excursions were more about selling you merchandise than anything else. IAll-in-all, very pleased and will cruise with them again. Read Less

I read alot of reviews and I have cruised every major line except Celebrity. This was my first time on a Costa ship which is geared towards Europeans however I am American. This review is based on an American sailing, not one in Europe or otherwise. I am not going to waste your time regarding ports of call. You can research those yourself. However I am giving an honest review based on a comparison of other 7 day cruises I have taken. A cruise is what you make of it. Stay flexible and go with the flow. Being unreasonable or impatient generally does not work to your advantage. Sailing from Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) was one of the fastest embarkations I have ever had. It literally took 30 minutes. Somewhat shocking considering some wait times on other cruises lasting 2 or 3 hours. This cruise departs the port late in the evening at 11pm however you can begin boarding at 1pm with last call at 9pm. This is smart because it gives a wide range of boarding times given its 3000+ passengers. The 7 day itinerary was Freeport, Bahamas, sea day, Grand Turk, Amber Cove (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic), sea day, Nassau, Bahamas for a Dec 2019 sailing. Itineraries and weather events should not be included in a fair review as they do not fairly represent the ship or its crew. Costa is generally regarded as a budget friendly cruise line. Costa is actually owned by Carnival. Price was the main reason why I decided to try the Luminosa. She is a well layed out ship that is easy to navigate. In relation to other cruise brands, I was pleasantly surprised. Cleanliness was superb. The ship was spotless. One of the cleanest ships I have ever been on. No worn carpets, nothing shabby in need of repair. Take note Royal Carribean! Crew was fantastic and generally stayed out of your way. What a refreshing change from the hard sell on Norwegian and Royal Carribean with crew members that pester you hourly for an opportunity to upcharge you. None of that here. That was a real surprise. The cabins are clean and well sorted. Beds were comfortable. Not soft, not hard. Standard amenities which are the same as any other brand. Shower was curtain style and a bit larger than others which was nice. The tv is not large. Unless you are legally blind, it doesn't need to be but it is the smallest of all the lines I have cruised. The food...was fantastic. So let me quantify this. If you are planning on eating cheseburgers, pizza and fries for 7 days then this is probably not the best choice. Unlike other brands, Costa charges you for pizza from their pizza restaurant. No ice cream machines on board but a gelato stand which again is an extra charge. On American sailings, water is complementary and coffee (American) is too from well hidden machines at the back of the buffet on level 9. Juices are complimentary at breakfast (sit down and buffet). Lunch is water and coffee and Dinner is water only on American sailings only. Otherwise you need to purchase a drink package. No free lemonade or ice tea unlike other brands. Now about the food. Naturally it is geared to Europeans...more specifically Italians. This should not come as a surprise! If you are willing to wander out of your comfort zone you will be richly rewarded! Breakfast is standard fare at the buffet but at sit down there are 7 or 8 different breakfast possibilities based on different nationalities. Croissants are available with creme filling (nutella chocolate or lemon) and jam also or plain. The donuts are, well...outstanding! Never had anything like these on another liner. Lunch was again, a surprise. Lunch starts later around 12 or 12:30 which is common in Europe but later than American standards. Tons of fresh made selections and of course fresh made pasta of every possible concoction. Some I have never seen or tasted before. Straight up, forget American Italian as the pasta I tasted blows anything cooked stateside out of the water. Veal, and even rabbit at the sit down restaurant for lunch. Dinner, again like lunch is served later. First sitting at 6pm and second at 8:30 or 9pm. Buffet starts around 6:30pm. Food was again, outstanding with usually 5 courses of small to medium plates with one plate always a pasta. All of it was delicious, well presented and warmly served. And yes, even lobster...which has conspicuously disappeared from many other brands I have recently sailed including Royal Carribean and Norwegian. I was shocked at the seafood given the pricepoint compared to the big American players. I never had an issue getting a table at the buffet even though the ship sailed full. About the shows, well they are fun but they do not compare to Royal Carribean or even Norwegian. However, they are fun. They just aren't as polished. I am ok with this given the pricepoint. But...the lounge musicians and singers were first rate. If you sit at the bar at night, you will be pleasantly surprised. Service was first rate and quite a surprise given the target audience and pricepoint. I never had an issue with the crew and everything was in order throughout the cruise. The crew works very hard on this ship without interfering. I cannot say enough about how well this ship was run! My room steward does not come in 3 times a day to check on me which was kind of refreshing...leave me alone and let me enjoy the balcony view in privacy. Given the numerous languages, announcments can take a bit of time. It is rare they come directly to your cabin so all in all, not bad. So here it comes...there are a few issues. You knew there would be, right? First. If you are in the second sitting group for dinner at 9pm and want to get into the first you are going to become extremely frustrated. I mean EXTREMELY frustrated. You will become SO frustrated that you will google Italian swear words to use with the maitre d which will get you kicked out. The Luminosa uses a traditional seating system. There just aren't enough seats for all to sit so the second seating picks up the rest. Since there are 5 courses, it takes a bit of time to get through. In order to prepare for the second seating around 9pm, they turn all the lights on at 8:15pm which is a polite Italian way of saying get out. It works pretty well. If you are not at your table by 6:45pm, you will lose your spot and it will go to someone waiting in line from the second seating so make sure you are on time for the first seating. If you do not want to eat at 9pm, walk down at 6:45pm and there is a good chance you will get a seat. You will naturally have less time to eat though. The second issue is the water service. Just ask for a water bottle and save yourself the frustration of waiting for your glass to be filled...which generally doesn't happen quickly. Trust me on this. INSIST on a water bottle (which is free on American sailings) at your table (gas or no gas). Internet was good. Not fast and not slow. The lowest package for texting only was a sensational value at $26 for 7 days. I used Whatsapp texting without issue for the whole cruise. Most other companies charge way more than this. Were you expecting more negatives? So was I. But it never materialized. For me, Costa was an amazing value and quite a surprise! Needless to say, I will try them again. The Luminosa was a huge surprise at a sensational pricepoint. Dollar for dollar, given the cabin and food it should be at the top of your list if you are a budget minded shopper looking for a good cruise and willing to be somewhat flexible. The Costa Luminosa is like a ferrari. Beautiful, well sorted in her own way. Go with the flow and she will richly reward you. Work against her and you will have a miserable time. Well done Costa Luminosa! Read Less

Usually the food on a cruise ship is a major highlight. Not the case on this ship, that is gorgeous, has a beautiful spa and well appointed cabins. Apparently the regular restaurant and kitchen crew get Christmas week or December off and Costa sends in the B team and only half of them. The food was bland and unimaginative. The first morning our waiter started bringing random plates of lox, fruit pastries and other unordered items and serving them to us individually with an explanation that our food orders were going to take a long time and we should eat these while we wait. They obviously should have been put in the middle of the table for sharing but weren’t. First clue staff were newbies. Dinner was a disaster. The food took soooo long to come and some at our table waited 30 minutes after others were eating to get their first item. Same for the second night though we specifically asked that all of us get served something at the same time. By the third night a supervisor came to our table after three nights of complaints. She apologized and said the ship was full and they were doing their best. She had to apologize for the waiter insisting to me that the canned vanilla pudding he served was chocolate mouse with no sugar added. I firmly pushed back three times to him that he was incorrect. Turns out it was the “cream” that was meant to accompany the unordered panettone fruitcake that had been served to appease us 20 minutes earlier as we waited for our real dessert orders, a cake that was long gone! We skipped the dining room altogether for a day and a half and only 1 lone solo traveling table-mate ate there. The breakfast buffets were slop. The cabins and cabin steward Abu were excellent. The drinks and bartenders were also nice. We bought the weeklong use of the spa pass but were disappointed that the hydrotherapy pool was closed for two days. I had a great bamboo massage and facial. The aesthetician Naomi was pushy and tried to talk me into having the same facial the next day. Really? I went ahead and scheduled one for 2 days later rather than engage in her strong arm sales tactics and promptly cancelled the next day which took some doing and tight follow up. Easier than fighter her. Read Less

It sounded like fun to sail away for the Christmas holiday but it was last minute and many cruises were booked. Along comes Costa with their fantastic itinerary and price. I read many negative reviews before sailing but I am here to tell all of you and especially those of you in the US, not to pay attention to the negative reviews. Embarkation was the fastest we have had out of 6 cruises including Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Carnival and MSC. We arrived about an hour after they said we could embark and got right on the ship with no waiting. Our room key was in the room so we went directly there and while checking out our cabin, the suitcases were delivered! The balcony cabin on deck 7 was like any other balcony cabin room we have had however there was much more storage space on Luminosa. The ship is immaculate at all times. We had a service problem with the only American electric outlet in the room but it was fixed immediately. Entertainment crew does their best to get everyone involved. There is sometimes a language barrier but it wasn't an issue. Our one and only issue was that the cruise director spoke mostly in Italian and when he spoke in English it was so rushed we couldn't understand. Food was outstanding. The buffet is open several hours a day. The restaurant was entertaining. Excursions were well organized and we enjoyed our very much. Disembarkation was organized and very fast. All in all, we had a wonderful time on Luminosa and it was a terrific value for the money! Read Less

Chose this cruise because of the hot deal of $400pp, the timing was perfect for us, and we had a need to pamper ourselves with downtime and get away from the awful year we had endured. Planned to relax in the sun on our balcony and while away the hours. We looked forward to a couple of familiar ports and good food and warm weather. The tour of Italy menu for the dining room interested us also. We figured we couldn't go wrong. Well, that was a huge assumption, it turns out. First off, the kudos... Embarkation was an absolute dream. Ran our hand luggage through the scanner, walked over to the "line" to the desk attendant, who checked our passports and tickets, stamped the latter, and sent us on our way. There was the usual stop we bypassed for the embarkation photo, then up the ramp and onto the ship and down to our awaiting cabin! We have never seen anything like it. We met our cabin steward, a very pleasant young man with a wonderful smile. Our ship didn't sail until 11 pm. We boarded shortly after 2:30, and were told the buffet was ready on the lido, and we could pick up our key cards in our open cabin. It was great. We stowed our baggage, went to explore the ship. Our neighbors on either side of our balcony were chain smokers, and constant coughing hackers, which severely impeded our enjoyment of the balcony suite. Surely the ship could do better placing non-smokers together. An occasional smoke, okay, but this constant smoking and coughing was nauseating. The ship itself was beautiful, very clean public areas, a comfortable theater with surfaces for beverages, just lovely. The casino was large and there was a glass-enclosed smoking area right there. Two bars on either end of the casino. There was a nice series of shops with the usual fare of jewelry and watches, tobacco and liquor, cruise clothing and overpriced goods for sale with huge discounts! Plenty of $25-30 tshirts and Tommy/CK/guess-branded stuff. Key rings and magnets $3-$10. Everything we don't buy. We walked through the wine bar and peeked at the dining room and ended up at the lido buffet for lunch. No alcohol was sold other than at the bar, where there were crowds of people waiting to order. This was another problem, if you will: no table wait staff at the bars, you had to go order and pick up your own. That said, it sure saved us money! Between the two of us, we had exactly eight drinks on this ten day cruise! I also noticed an area with signage posted that to use that area you had to pay for rental of the chairs. There was a small putting green with torn turf, and a tiny splash pool and outside playground area suitable for very young children. There were six lido buffet stations. All six served the same exact food in the same exact placement on the buffet. Salad greens of three types, large chunks of tomato, cucumber slices, grated carrots, radishes and jicama, sunflower seeds, red onion slices, olives, and watery blue cheese, thousand island and French dressings. Oil and vinegar was available, but not located where the salad was. Italian cold cuts, a variety of three Italian cheeses to slice. Some baskets of sliced breads, and a few hot selections: eggplant, always an underdone pasta dish, whole fried smelts, chicken in some sauce, (with bones - ice cold on one end and lukewarm on the other end) steamed broccoli, cauliflower in pesto, very thin leathery pork chops and beef steaks all dried out. White rice mixed with egg and veggies, hard and crunchy. BBQ ribs you could neither cut with a knife or chew from the bone. Soups offered were lukewarm and horrible. The bean soup was similar to the liquid in a can of beans. We were initially under the mistaken assumption that this was just a quick way to feed a bunch of embarking passengers quickly. Wrong. Sadly,this was the evening and lunchtime fare we were offered every single blessed grueling day after day after day. There was pizza available occasionally, but we could never figure out when we were expected to pay for pizza. We only picked up slices when we noticed it was being cut for sampling, and our samples featured undercooked crust, no flavoring tomato sauce, if any, and certainly not anything that would entice us to order or pay for a custom pizza. During the noontime hours 12-4 each day, there was a station set up with pre-packaged chicken burgers, hamburgers, hot dogs, and baked steak-type fries. This station was moved every day, but was most often located near the indoor pool. This is what my husband finally decided on for the last several days of the cruise. he is not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination - but the food offered at the buffet was unbearable for the most part. Hot foods were often chilly or downright cold; the ship prides itself on a program of low food waste, they ask people to sample before filling plates to hold the line on waste. They also state in printed tabletop material that their foods are precooked and frozen elsewhere and reheated before service with no impact on the taste. We beg to differ. If they are reheating frozen foods, they are doing a lousy job. Hot foods were often 'refrigerator' cold and only partially heated through. We both doubted anything on the buffet would pass USDA health inspection for temperature. Virtually nothing could be cooked to order. Water and iced tea were in one service area, which also provided hot tea and "American coffee". Other beverage stations were limited to water and ice. Once in a while there was a juice offered, but the orange juice I tried was overly sweet. So while I'm on this subject, I might as well give the run-down on breakfast at the Lido. Again, the same food everywhere every stinking day. Italian cold cuts, cheese, and sliced breads. Oatmeal the thickness of stew. Three cold cereals, I think frootloops was one, maybe Rice Krispies. Chunks of fresh grapefruit, bananas, oranges, melons, and apples. Cold croissants with a dollop of jam or chocolate on top. Reconstituted scrambled eggs, uncooked Sunnyside up eggs with crispy brown bottoms and glistening uncooked yolks and clear whites on top. Cooked rounds of scrambled egg folded over like an omelette, nothing inside, and pancakes - all cold. Nope, not just lukewarm. Cold. (The plates were warm, the butter melted on my plate, but not on the pancakes.) Bacon, thin fried leathery pork chops, cold mcDonalds-like triangular chunks of hash browns and fried fish. There may have been yogurt, but I almost think you had to buy it, as it was on ice with beverages that were for sale. The lido also had a few days of special chef offerings by the pool. We went three times, but chose not to eat the pasta offered one day, and tossed the selections the other two times after sampling - notably awful rice and cheese balls, cold in the middles. We were stunned at the lack of flavor and the abject failure in hot foods. Lots of the foods were mislabeled, so we learned not to trust any signage. Dining room (evening meal) was by assigned seating. We met two of our dining companions at our table for eight; one couple showed up once; the other two we never saw. We were looking forward to the menus featuring a different region of Italy each night. We were only truly satisfied with one meal, however. One notable lack: Menus were not posted- you had to be seated at the table to see what was on the menu. The service was impeccable the first few times, but dropped off to the point where we were filling our own water glasses and using utensils and such from the unseated end of the table. (Twice we were approached by someone selling a sample platter of seafood which you could "order" for the following evening for a charge of $25 or so extra.). We enjoyed the company of Dave and Bob, and in comparing our experiences, all wholeheartedly agreed that our level of disappointment in the food was in alignment and not outrageous. Twice we walked out of the restaurant without finishing our meals. My chefs special lasagna bolognese exactly tasted like a chefboyardee can of ravioli, and it was cold in the middle. My husband's pastrami sandwich chefs special came with exactly two paper-thin slices topped with sauerkraut and thousand island dressing dripping and a slab of some sort of melted cheese. A true stomach turner. We did feel sorry for our waiter, who frequently offered other dishes to replace the sub-par fare, and we told him it wasn't his fault the food was so lousy. Oftentimes cold or half-heated main dishes. Very little remarkable except for the prime rib, the steaks, and the salt-cod appetizer. Sugar free desserts were surprisingly the best desserts offered. Most others we had were flat and flavorless, if, in fact, we made it all the way to the dessert course. Dining room was the only place to get ice cream. (Gelato offered in a specialty restaurant for upcharge.) We were appalled at the salads swimming in dressings...the only way to avoid it was to order without dressing and use the oil and vinegar on the table. Breakfasts in the dining room were on deck 2, once we were seated by ourselves at one long table, halfway through our meal another couple was seated at our table for four when the entire dining room was pretty much vacant, making for an awkward breakfast meal, as they spoke little English, our only language. We did establish they were dissatisfied with the entire cruise as well. I had noted eggs Benedict with crab on the room service menu, and asked for that in the dining room...no can do. Only menu items may be ordered. Opted for the Mexican breakfast with scrambled eggs. Husband was served his smoked salmon Norwegian breakfast long before I received my breakfast...which arrived with glistening orange uncooked yolks staring up at me from the plate. That was sent back immediately and we left the dining room. The last day we were scheduled for 9:30 debark. We went to the dining room and witnessed a shocking event: the manager nearly came to physical blows with a waiter. We have no idea what precipitated this screaming Manager going after the waiter with fists raised flailing in the air. The waiter calmly asked the man to stop yelling at him and asked to take it into a side room if he had a problem. It escalated to the point where the poor waiter actually ran away from the enraged boss. This manager didn't let up for more than a minute before he began yelling across the dining room, and again went after the waiter, who, by that time, was standing calmly with his arms at his side and hands folded at his back. It wasn't busy, they had more than enough waiters and servers in the room, so it couldn't have been work-related as far as we could determine. I did make it a point to get the manager's name so I can report it on the survey we have been promised by the cruise line. (Two WEEKS post cruise now, no emails or surveys from Costa!). First time I ever lost weight on a cruise! Oh, I almost forgot-husband ordered a drink at dinner, was told he would have to go get it himself at one of the bars - they had nothing more than wine to offer in the dining room. The treatment of staff in general was pretty darn poor. We witnessed several incidents of managers giving loud, dramatic reprimands to stewards and food service staff in front of guests in crowded dining areas or hallways with guests-for what infraction, we couldn't figure. It was appalling and extremely uncomfortable to witness. We were informed by more than one lower-level staffer that they were not supposed to engage in any conversation with guests for more than a couple of minutes. It could get them into a lot of trouble. We even shut our cabin down with the do not disturb posted so our steward could at least have a little bit of a break. We had seen him -and others- working all hours of the day and night. The final debark meeting with the cruise director was the confirmation we needed: he said the staff works anywhere from five to eleven months without a single day off. Horrific. He also encouraged all passengers to complete their reviews using nothing less than a 7 on the scale of 1-10, because anything less than a 7 counts as a zero. Pretty sad to have to lie and beg for scores. Entertainment was pretty childish and uninteresting. We went to three events in the theater and stayed for only one: Comedian Jeff Tag the last night of the cruise, a funny guy who was flown in for the one late-night show (10:45 pm last night of cruise). This was the only show in English. Probably fifty people in that huge theater, but he made the best of it. Americans and Canadians had been encouraged to self-debark, carrying their own luggage the next morning: 7 am. The staged dancing we witnessed was pretty sad, there was also an acrobatics act with a man and woman, and a singer who struggled mightily with his selections. There is a fourD theater, which costs money, but they do give free tickets out just about everywhere. The features are shorts aimed at children, with dinosaurs, trains, etc. we weren't interested and couldn't understand the show times posted anyway. If the grandkids were with us, we probably would have tried it. There were several dance lessons on the lido deck, some party poolside games. Games were offered in the small library, but we never found anyone to play. The gym is well-equipped, the hydrotherapy pool is large and clean. Spa attendants are friendly. We didn't get into the public pools but did note diapered babies in the hot tubs...a dangerous threat to the infants' health, not to mention possible fecal contamination. The ports: Amber Cove DR- never been here before so we opted for the $29pp shore excursion which promised shopping and rum tasting, booked when we booked the cruise. What a disappointment! Meeting in bar at 7:45. Off the ship at 8am and onto a nice Volvo coach bus, with Domingo, our guide, who spoke five languages. We were impressed with him, but as for the 8:45 rum tasting at the bottling plant, meh. Way too early. Too hot. Shopping was a few minutes at an amber and larimar jewelry store, followed by a trip to a piazza with closed shops and a cathedral we couldn't not enter. We were allowed 12 minutes. Then group was walked a couple of blocks to the Amber museum. We also visited a fort for a very few minutes - many pushy vendors pursuing customers across the grounds, as the area where they were set up was a small distance from our bus stop. At no time were we offered any place to get water or anything to drink in the four+ hours away from the ship on a tropical island. Poor treatment of/lack of concern for guests. Many of us had headaches when returning to the ship. (Additionally, our room service breakfast arrived three minutes before our tour was to meet in the staging area. Food was sent back, and we took the tour with no water and no breakfast, and no place to purchase anything.) Nassau, Bahamas: we just got off the ship and wandered through the town and had some delicious food. We have visited before, and knew what we wanted to do ashore. Grand Cayman...stayed on the ship. Roatan was cancelled due to high seas preventing docking. Ocho Rios, Jamaica- we walked down to the shops from the port. Excessive pursuit by cabbies and tour guides for about the first half mile. Town shops were busy, but most were too pushy for us. We found a fabulous restaurant 'Jam-Fusion' on the street, just a hole in the wall, nondescript, but excellent food and personable staff. Chef Maurice came out to speak to us, and we were happy to tell him how much we were enjoying our meals. We did take a walk through Turtle River Park and were glad to be approached by an employee who showed us local flora and fauna and even offered up some fresh almonds from the trees. We did give him a couple of bucks for a tip, but he made it clear he didn't need to be tipped - this was his full-time job. Very interesting park made much more interesting with his input. There was a man right inside the port next to the ship offering photo ops with his 30- year old parrot for passengers - our friend was bitten by this bird when he walked by...drew blood...not good. Cozumel - never so glad to arrive anywhere! We were able to eat a great breakfast and terrific lunch on our six hour stroll through the area we are so familiar with. Very windy that day, which happened to be the day the two Carnival ships collided. We have been here several times so no need for excursions for us. Debarking went smoothly, although we were somewhat confused by the scheduling: we were assigned 9:30 am, but when we went to our assigned gathering area, we were told that we should just get in line to get off the ship. Luggage was where it should be, easily gathered, and then customs. I still can't believe the amount of fruit that was confiscated...all to be destroyed. I must say that the pick-up points are arranged nicely, and easy to find once you get through the crowds who seem to come to a standstill upon exiting the building. Would I recommend or sail again with this cruise line? Never. The two biggest reasons? The food was simply awful. We sincerely doubted the buffet or restaurant served food up to proper temperature. Secondly, the staff was treated poorly, and it made us very uncomfortable. Read Less

We have just been on our first cruise with Celebrity so of course we compared We come from Canada so we flew to Fort Lauderdail,. We enjoyed the ease of getting onto the ship, we loved our room, our steward was great "boy they work hard". We had the early dinner in the restaurant, The first problem i had was no plug to work for my cpap machine but the English Rep on the boat sorted that out and our lesson was learned yes I had already learned to take an extension cord. The food was an issue but only because I have an allergy to the protein in Milk not lactose intolerant no sensitivities but a full blown allergy, which means no butter milk cheese yogurt cheese and think about baking and butter and milk are in most things so it makes like hard for me. The restaurant manager sorted this out by me ordering my meal for the evening the day prior. Lesson for me to take a list of foods I like for breakfast and lunch we were placed in another section of the restaurant along with others who needed different things, in one way it was great as I met a lady from Germany who had the same problem as myself we could not speak much about the situation but we hugs in understanding. The ship is spotless in every way. The entertainment in the theater was great, we know most of the time its there own staff who put on the shows but for 45 minutes we were entertained we did have a great singer who was shipped in, we also had a very very bendy lady and her partner they were brilliant, so no complaints about the entertainment. Now the activities were so much dam fun, the restaurant staff entertained us I danced with my waiter "who i will say was very cute" we did the conga around the eating area so much fun. They also have a great dance area for real dancing which was great to watch others do, but they also had a crew of young people for line dancing and games we did win some pickle bats and a tote bag it was so much fun to join in.. IF you don't join in you miss out on having fun Im 68 and i set out to have fun with my hubby and it was great. Our time on shore was great ANYONE WHO GOES TO JAMAICA do go on the bob slay don't use the brakes trust and enjoy your ride its fantastic. Would we ever go on this boat again HELL YES Im just waiting for a cruise I can afford again. I would love to do a transatlantic cruise with them but the flights to get from or to the ship costs to much right now.. AS soon as we can we will be back. Read Less

If you want blaring cruise directors, endless trivia games, quirky open plan cabins, tiny balconys, line ups for everything and eat-with-your-fingers fast food dining, LUMINOSA IS NOT FOR YOU. Look at something else. If you want a more traditional, non-intrusive experience with a varied and entertaining stay, quality continental dining with well managed hotel services that reflect the days when quality and value were more important than size and economies of scale, then LUMINOSA IS FOR YOU. It might not last, so enjoy it soon! Main dining room experience is as good as it gets these days.Table staff went the extra mile to make it work. Six course meals with Italian flair and a bit of style have optional selections. Full credit to the dining room manager who was visible. Sailing and ships crew were obviously competent, without being intrusive. Safety is plainly a high priority. I saw a lifebout drill supervisor firmly correct a man who was late and more interested in his cell phone than the drill. Read Less

we chose as it was going to the ports we wanted to see in the Caribbean . unfortunately some of the staff need more experience in dealing with customers. The hospitality staff provided poor service and were quite dismissive. One of our party had damaged their knee on the way to the cruise so was unable to go in the excursions, told that they could only get a refund if they had a note from the ships doctor which would have visit more than the trip. Trying to arrange wheelchair transportation was challenging and there was no co-ordination. On this cruise line people are allowed to smoke on balconies, which isn’t made clear at the time of booking so if you are non smokers your use of your private balcony is affected by smokers above, below and next to you. Food was good quality, serving staff in restaurants were excellent as were cabin staff. understanding the drinks package was a challenge. . excursions were expensive for what they were and a lot of time wasted doing shopping trips which weren’t part of the original trip. I thought this cruise was going to be value for money but unfortunately it wasn’t. Would i do Costa again, no i wouldn’t and that is due to the hospitality staff and the customer complaints service, which is a shame because it could be so good. Read Less

This was an RCI package cruise and the worst way to ever travel (bye bye RCI) because it was either a balcony on Costa/MSC or an interior room on the bigger names, like Royal. We decided to try Costa and it will be the last time. First, Costa likes to play the "we're separate entities" game when dealing between the host desk and tours. No one is responsible to the passenger but the department that doesn't belong to Costa, and they all belong to Costa! The food is horrible and what other reviewers say about closing down the buffet early is correct. I lost weight on this cruise..and while that is a surprise, it's only because the food was mostly disgusting. Do not order the daily fruit option -- first the produce grade is "C", which means it's barely good enough to sell at a discount but ready to ferment if you don't consume it right away. I have pictures of rotting fruit on day one and they REFUSED to cancel it. Every day we received rotting or near uber ripe fruit and seeded grapes. Even the plums, apples and kiwi were bruises and browning on the inside. Tours -- do not book ahead. They never sell out but if you have a medical emergency, they'll not release your spouse to help you seek medical attention and you'll lose money. I actually had a tour desk person laugh that we booked a tour on disembarkation day. Not only did his manager apologize but he was forced to go on our tour with us. Be that as it may, I just wanted to cancel it because they really are quite unprofessional and the costs far exceed the value. You're better off getting the shuttle to the city (or train to Rome) and doing it on your own. Balcony -- avoid deck 5 -- you're right over the life boats and there are bright lights shining all night long that will impede your ocean view. Our particular cabin had a slow drain in the shower and when they finally plunged it, enough hair to cover a hairpiece was recovered. Later I saw a man waiting in the forever-host-desk line yelling "when will they clear the sewage backing up into our room?!!" Clearly Costa doesn't maintain their rooms. We had a medical need onboard and the medical staff are phenomenal. If there could be activities and tours with the medical staff then this cruise would have been much more tolerable. Crazy, eh? Read Less

Limited food options. Not many restaurants on ship. Buffet closed early all of the time. It would close an hour and a half early at night. Food was marginal. Entertainment was horrible. Not much to do on the ship at all. Bring your own stuff to do. I have been on 8 other cruise ships. Never have I been on one like this. Usually there is so much stuff that is incredible going on and it is hard to decide which thing to do. Not this cruise. One show at night that did not have room for everyone. It was like watching high school kids in Las Vegas clothes. No thanks. No dueling pianos, concerts, comedians, or anything like that. Pool did not have water in it most of the time. Large screen by pool but no movie nights. Commercials only. Top deck was wasted space. Mini golf was ruined and not playable. Was only a look out or sitting deck. Should have had activities and sports for guests. There was just nothing to do. Too much time on a boring ship. We would only dock at each city for about 4 hours. Not enough time at port to see the countries. We were rushed and could not go far. Would much rather spend time on land. They cancelled Athens Greece so we did not get to go there at all. They were rude to Americans. It was obvious we were last off the ship for excursions and other things. Would never go on any ship again unless it was American. I was with a group of 15. We all feel the same about each of these items. Read Less